Broken
by iamthecircleandthecircleisme
Summary: Marinette froze. She slowly brought her fingers up to her ear and felt her own skin where she should have felt the metal of her earring. "Chloe," Marinette's voice had a slight tremor to it. "Did you take my earrings?" AKA How Chloe Screwed Everything Up: A Reveal Fic.
1. Chapter 1

So my friend randomly mentioned this weird French kid's show that she was into, and I stupidly decided to check it out. 17 episodes and two days later, I had gotten zero sleep and was hooked. So now I am miraculous trash. I have fallen straight into the depths of miraculous hell and am prepared to go down with the love square that's actually only two people. Anyways, this is my first fanfiction for this fandom. Constructive criticism is fine, but remember, no flames please!

Disclaimer: Thomas Astruc owns this fabulous show and all of its oblivious characters.

 **Chapter 1**

Marinette sprinted into the classroom just as the bell rang. She breathed a sigh of relief; she did not need another tardy this week. Hawkmoth had been particularly active the past few days, with anywhere from three to six akuma attacks a day. Ladybug and Chat Noir had been up all night rounding up akuma after akuma. Marinette had leapt through the trapdoor on her balcony at 5:00 am.

Marinette slumped in her seat next to Alya and closed her stinging eyes. Her brain barely registered Adrien sitting in front of her, who looked nearly as sleep deprived as her.

"Girl, you look like hell," Alya dead panned next to her.

"Thanks," Marinette responded dryly. She wasn't really in the mood for another one of Alya's lectures on how she should sleep earlier.

Ms. Bustier appeared to be absent as a man none of them had seen before stood in front of the classroom. As the substitute took roll, Marinette laid her head on her arms and tried to ignore the pain that signified the beginning of a headache.

"Alright class, Ms. Bustier is absent today so you all have a free study period. You may talk to each other but if it gets too loud, I will prohibit any talking. Am I clear?" The sub stated as he plopped down into the chair at Ms. Bustier's desk and opened a book.

"Nice," Alya said next to her. "So, girl, what kept you up this time?"

Marinette grunted in response. If it was a free period, she was going to use it to sleep. As she started to drift off, which don't take very long at all, Marinette was faintly aware that it felt like someone was touching her ears and her neck. She was, however, too tired to think straight and brushed it off as her being paranoid. She sighed and she felt herself just about to fall asleep when a loud scream interrupted her.

"Chloe! What are you doing?!" Alya yelled at the blonde. As Marinette rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she saw Chloe smirk. "That belongs to Marinette!"

Puzzled, Marinette looked at Alya. Alya pointed to Chloe's hand, which held Marinette's necklace. Marinette's hand immediately flew up to her now bare neck. That must've been the feeling she had had when she was trying to fall asleep. Marinette sighed and stood up. She held out her hand to Chloe.

"Chloe, give it back." Marinette had no patience to deal with this girl. That necklace had been given to her by her mother just a few days before as a present for helping out with a particularly difficult order at the bakery. Next time Chloe needed saving (and there would be a next time since the girl caused most of the akumas), maybe Ladybug would wait just a little bit longer before rescuing her.

Chloe just laughed. "Why would you want this ratty piece of junk anyway? It's obviously a cheap fake. The diamonds and gold aren't even real. Is this all your poor family could afford?" Chloe scoffed.

Marinette felt her blood begin to boil. She massaged her temples and exhaled. "Chloe, give me my necklace back," she said again. Marinette looked at the substitute to see if he could possibly be of any help, but he appeared to be lost in his book.

"You want it? Catch." Chloe tossed the necklace away from Marinette.

Marinette's breath hitched until she saw Adrien, almost with cat-like reflexes, grab her necklace out of the air. She tried not to blush as he handed it to her. "Chloe, you shouldn't steal people's things," Adrien reprimanded her. Chloe's face turned slightly pink and her face twisted into a sneer.

Marinette began putting her necklace back on. As she hooked the ends together behind her neck, her arm brushed past her ear. She froze. She slowly brought her fingers up to her ear and felt her own skin where she should have felt the metal of her earring. Marinette was positive her heart had stopped beating.

"Chloe," Marinette's voice had a slight tremor to it. "Did you take my earrings?"

Chloe merely smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Marinette took a step forward. "Chloe, give me my earrings." Her voice had gotten so deathly serious that conversations around the room were beginning to die down. People were watching Chloe and Marinette's exchange.

"Why should I? These look even cheaper than that stupid necklace." Chloe produced Marinette's earrings from behind her back. Marinette attempted to take a swipe at them but Chloe held them just out of her reach.

Marinette started shaking with mixture of desperation and anger. She needed to get her miraculous back and she was almost ready to punch Chloe to get it.

Chloe was still talking. "These are worthless just like you." With that, Chloe threw them on the ground, raised her foot, and stomped on top of them.

Marinette's blood ran cold. "What the hell?!" Marinette heard Alya's voice behind her. "Chloe, what is wrong with you?" Alya pushed past Marinette to confront Chloe when a pained squeaking came from Marinette's bag.

Marinette dove for her bag and opened it. _Please please please be okay, Tikki._ Marinette thought in her head. She delicately pulled out her kwami. Tikki was shaking and writhing in pain in her hand. "Oh god," Marinette whispered.

"What is that?" Chloe asked obnoxiously. While the entire class gathered closer to get a better look at Marinette's writhing kwami, Adrien stood frozen, unable to move.

"Tikki," Marinette whispered. "Tikki, are you okay? Oh my god."

Tikki could barely squeak out a reply; she was in so much pain. "Marinette, you need to take me to Master Fu. Bring the broken miraculous too."

Marinette snapped into action. "Chloe, get the hell off of my earrings."

"Why should I?" Chloe smirked.

"You just freaking smashed my miraculous! Get the hell off of them!" Marinette screeched.

Chloe involuntarily took a step back, off of Marinette's earrings. "What? Your miraculous?" Chloe's smirk disappeared as she pieced it together. "You're… you're Ladybug?" she breathed out.

Marinette paid her no attention as she quickly picked up all of the fractured pieces of her miraculous and sprinted out of the room. Adrien's voice was barely audible in the chaos that ensued as Marinette left the classroom.

"My Lady…"


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all of you so much for your favorites, follows, and reviews. Your positive feedback just encourages me to write more! I will try to update as regularly as possible, but I have a big trip planned for the start of summer break so this might have to go on a bit of a hiatus within the next week or so. I will definitely keep writing while I'm on vacation so if I miss updating for a while, when I do come back, you will be rewarded with more than one chapter. Anyway, enough about me. Back to the story!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"No freaking way, dude."

"My best friend is Ladybug?! Why didn't she tell me?"

"Chloe, you just smashed Ladybug's miraculous!"

Although Adrien stood in the middle of the yelling classroom, he barely heard a thing. His thoughts were way too loud. How could sweet, barely able to get more than a sentence out to him without stuttering, Marinette be the brave, sassy Ladybug who confidently brushed off Chat's flirting? They were so different, and yet they weren't. They were both beautiful, strong and would stand up against injustice if they saw it. Marinette could be assertive; she had proven that since becoming class president. As Adrien's mind pieced Ladybug and Marinette together, he began to wonder how he didn't see it before. His Lady had been right in front of him, or rather, behind him, the entire time.

A smile tugged at his lips. He was glad that Ladybug was Marinette. He had often thought about Ladybug's true identity, praying that the girl behind the mask was just as genuine when she wasn't behind it. His worrying proved futile.

Adrien was snapped out of his stupor when he felt Nino push past him. Adrien hadn't been paying attention to what was happening in the classroom, but apparently he should have been.

The class was in chaos. A group of angry students was yelling at Chloe while she tried to defend herself. Nino was physically holding Alya back from attacking Chloe. Mylene sat at her desk, looking pale, while Ivan fanned her face. The substitute barely spared the situation a glance before he, once again, buried his nose in his book. Luckily, everyone was distracted enough for Adrien to slip out of the classroom undetected.

Plagg flew out of the pocket inside Adrien's shirt. "Adrien! We need to go to Master Fu's right now!" Plagg tried to fly away but Adrien grabbed his tail.

"Plagg, hold on, what is happening? Who is Master Fu?" Adrien needed to know what was going on before Plagg led him anywhere.

Plagg sighed impatiently. "Master Fu is the guardian of all the miraculous jewels. All dormant miraculouses are entrusted to him. Ladybug has apparently already met him; it's time you do to. Now, come on, we don't have time for this; God knows what's going to happen to Tikki." With that, Plagg flew down the hallway.

Adrien raced behind him. "Wait, Plagg, who's Tikki?"

* * *

Marinette tried her best to hold back the tears she felt prickling in her eyes as she sprinted down the sidewalk. She held her injured kwami and shattered miraculous close to her heart and said a silent prayer for Tikki. Marinette's heart lifted a little when she saw Master Fu's shop in sight. He would know what to do.

Master Fu and his kwami, Wayzz, were meditating quietly when Marinette burst through the front door without announcing herself. Master Fu opened his eyes and gave her an amused smile, but it quickly disappeared when he saw the desperation on her face. Marinette was shaking and breathing heavily from having run so far so fast.

Master Fu quickly got up. "What is wrong, Ladybug?" he implored.

Marinette could only shake her head. She opened her hands and showed him Tikki as well as her smashed earrings. The way his expression morphed into one of horror twisted Marinette's heart.

"You'll be able to fix it, right?" Marinette could barely get the words out. Tears were now freely dripping down her face. Master Fu kept staring at her open hands. "Right?" Marinette sobbed out.

Master Fu gingerly took Tikki and her earrings out of Marinette's hands. His face was ashen. "I will try, Ladybug, I will try." Marinette wished he sounded more certain. "You wait here. I'll see what I can do." Master Fu and Wayzz disappeared into the back room, leaving Marinette by herself.

She collapsed onto the floor, letting all of the emotions she had tried to keep at bay loose. Marinette wrapped her arms herself and bawled. She couldn't lose Tikki; she couldn't lose being Ladybug. Without Ladybug, who would be there to stop akumas? Chat could hold his own in a fight, but he wouldn't be able to purify the butterflies of their dark energy. Chat. That damn cat could be really annoying sometimes, but she couldn't lose him either. If Master Fu couldn't fix the miraculous, she didn't know what she would do.

This was all Chloe's fault. Why did mayor's daughter insist on tormenting her the most? She hadn't done anything to the blonde and yet here she was, on the floor of a Chinese man's shop, crying her eyes out, about to lose everything, because of her. The anger that bubbled up inside of Marinette only made her feel worse.

Marinette was sobbing so hard that she didn't hear the flapping of wings as a dark purple butterfly entered the room through an open window.

* * *

Adrien was running down the sidewalk with Plagg safely tucked into a pocket of his shirt. Plagg whispered directions to him as he ran, imploring him to go faster.

"We need to get there fast. Without the magic of her miraculous to protect her, Marinette could be akumatized. With everything that's happened today, there would be enough negative energy to attract Hawkmoth's attention." Plagg's tactics worked; Adrien would be damned if he let anything happen to his Lady.

"We're almost there. It's on the next block, the Chinese antique shop." Plagg whispered excitedly. Adrien knew which shop Plagg was talking about. He had seen it multiple times on his way to and from school. That rickety old store was where the guardian of all miraculouses was?

Adrien pumped his arms harder when the shop came into view. Plagg's words had scared him. He needed to get to Marinette before an akuma did. Adrien was only half a block away when the front door of the antique shop was blown off of its hinges in a minor explosion. A figure with blood red eyes and two short pigtails emerged from amidst the smoke.

"Where is Chloe Bourgeois?!"


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again, my loves! I seriously love all of you guys so much. Thank you all for being amazing people and actually reading this story that's based on a random idea that I got while taking a shower. Anyway, you all came here to read my story not hear me rant so here we go!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Marinette had seen the dark purple butterfly one second too late, just as the akuma flew into the necklace Chloe had stolen earlier. Her panic lasted only a second until she heard a sweet, calming voice in her ear.

"Coccinellidae, I am Hawkmoth. You did not deserve what that horrible girl did to you. I can help you get revenge on her. However, in return, you must get me Chat Noir's miraculous."

Part of Marinette's brain screamed at her that this wasn't right. Part of it begged her to see reason; Hawkmoth was the enemy. She couldn't steal from her partner. However, the other part of her brain loved Hawkmoth's plan. Chloe was a jerk and deserved to be punished. The thought of making her pay for hurting Tikki seemed too good to pass up. The half of Marinette's brain that said yes slowly drowned out any protests the other half had.

"You won't be disappointed, Hawkmoth," Marinette murmured as a dark purple energy consumed her.

* * *

Adrien screeched to a halt when he saw the door of Master Fu's shop fly off. The obviously akumatized Marinette stepped out of the smoke and flew into the air. Adrien stared up at her. Her costume looked similar to her Ladybug suit, only instead of being red with black spots, the tight suit and mask were pitch black. The only color on it came from her wings, which looked exactly like a real ladybug's, red with black spots.

"I said, where is Chloe Bourgeois?!" She shouted once again. The civilians who saw her just merely ran in terror. She grunted in disgust at their lack of answers. She raised her hand, waved it, and a strange yellowish substance appeared. She threw it at a group of bystanders. When it hit them, it cemented all of them to the ground. They were all screaming.

"Marinette," Adrien said out loud.

Marinette had evidently heard him. She flew down towards him. "It's not Marinette anymore," she smirked at him. "It's Coccinellidae. And I am going to find Chloe and make her pay for what she did to Tikki." With that, Marinette, or rather, Coccinellidae, took off in the direction of Collège Françoise Dupont.

Adrien was about to follow after her when an old Chinese man came running out of the shop. Adrien locked eyes with him, and he saw the man breathe a sigh of relief. "Chat Noir, please come in," he said, gesturing to his shop.

"What about Marinette?" Adrien asked, pointing in the direction she had gone.

"You can go after her in a moment; I need to show you something first."

Adrien sighed impatiently but obeyed the man's order. If the guardian needed to tell him something before he could even go after Marinette, it had to be important. Plagg flew out of Adrien's shirt pocket as soon as he entered the antique shop.

"Let me show you what I've been working on." Master Fu opened a drawer in the dresser that stood against the back wall of his tiny shop. He pulled out a clear plastic box. "This is an akuma box." Adrien looked at him, puzzled. "Ever since your first mission together, I have feared that there would come a day that Ladybug would be unable to purify an akuma. So I created this. It may not look like much, but if you capture an akuma in this box, the magic will keep the akuma from multiplying. It can stay in the box until Ladybug is able to purify it."

Adrien took the box from Master Fu's hands. "So I need to get it in here?" The guardian nodded. "Wait, but, how am I supposed to fight Ladybug? She's so much better than I am."

Master Fu shook his head. "You do not give yourself enough credit. You can do this."

"What about you?" Adrien asked. "Couldn't you help me?"

Master Fu again shook his head. "I need to stay here and tend to Ladybug's kwami. Fixing a broken miraculous is only something I've heard of before once in history. I must find the manuscript again and fast. Every minute the miraculous stays broken, the harder it is to fix."

"Great," Adrien responded.

"Chat," Master Fu said hesitantly. "I fear that since Hawkmoth has made her a ladybug villain, that he may know her secret identity," he stated. "Be careful. You cannot risk him finding out yours as well."

Adrien nodded. "Plagg, transform me!" he shouted. Adrien was quickly replaced with Chat Noir in a burst of neon green light. He was about to head out through the broken doorway when Master Fu put his hand on one of his shoulders.

"Chat Noir, one more thing before you go. Ladybug briefly to me what happened when she got here. That Chloe girl is the one who broke her miraculous, right? I know this will not be easy. You probably think that that girl should get what is coming to her. But remember this: no one deserves what Hawkmoth is capable of. Don't let him dirty Ladybug's hands with blood."

Chat Noir gave him a nod of understanding and took off in the direction of the school, akuma box in hand. As he drew nearer to his destination, sounds of screaming civilians met his ears. The entire school was covered in the yellow substance he had seen Coccinellidae secrete from her hands. She was already here.

Chat found a single window not totally covered in the goo. He forced it open and slipped quietly inside. It was the principal's office. He opened the door to enter the courtyard and found himself staring at the every student in the whole school, huddled together in the center of the courtyard. Coccinellidae stood in front of them, yelling for them not to move.

How was he going to fight Ladybug? He needed a plan. His mind whirled until he got an idea. It was risky, but it was better than nothing.

A quick scan of the scene showed Chat that Chloe was not among the crowd of students. His brow furrowed; where could she be? Then it hit him: Ms. Bustier's classroom. He silently tiptoed past the large group of students and made his way up the stairs, constantly looking behind himself to make sure Coccinellidae hadn't spotted him.

Chat opened the classroom door to find Chloe pinned to the back wall in a glob of the yellow goo.

"Chat Noir! Help me!"

Chat had a hard time bringing himself to care that Chloe was in danger now that he stood in front of her. She deserved whatever Marinette was going to do to her. But then, Master Fu's words echoed in his mind. _Don't let him dirty Ladybug's hands with blood._ Chat immediately felt ashamed. He had to think about his Lady. As he thought of this as a mission to save Marinette, he became much more motivated. It was time to save Ladybug. He placed the akuma box on a desk.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir raised his hand above his head, about to place his hand on the sticky substance currently holding Chloe when he suddenly stopped.

"What are you waiting for?" Chloe demanded. "Free me."

Chat looked up at the blonde, his face hardening. "Look, Chloe, this is all your fault. Once I use this power, I only have five minutes before I transform back. You know as well as I that Ladybug isn't coming to help, and that is your fault. I need you to be a distraction so I can get her akuma. We're only going to have one shot at this, and I'm not going to free you until you agree to help me."

Chloe scoffed. "How was I supposed to know someone as lame as Marinette could be someone cool like Ladybug? It wasn't my fault. Why should I help you?"

Chat actually had to resist taking his Cataclysm-powered hand and using it on Chloe's face. "Because Chloe, I could just leave you here if I wanted to. You deserve everything she would do to you." To prove his point, Chat started walking towards the exit.

Chloe's face paled considerably. "Fine!" she yelled out. "I'll help you. But if I get so much as a chipped nail, I'll have my daddy sue."

Chat rolled his eyes. He stuck his hand against the yellow goo and all of it fell away. Chat glanced nervously at his ring, observing the paw prints. He sighed and again grabbed the akuma box. He then turned back to Chloe, who looked at him in disgust. "Follow my lead, Chloe. And do not mess this up."

* * *

Author's Note:

HAHAHA Hawkmoth made Mari into a literal ladybug with all the powers of a real ladybug. He needs to get more creative. *casually blames my own lack of ideas on Hawkmoth* Anyways, Marinette's akuma villain name is just the scientific name for ladybugs, in case y'all were wondering.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello lovelies! I'm so so so sorry that I haven't updated in forever. Summer was crazy and college apps are actually the worst thing ever. Thank y'all so much for your patience. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

As Chat Noir crept back down the stairs to the courtyard, he constantly checked behind himself, making sure Chloe was actually following him and had not run off. He did not like his idea of baiting Marinette, now Coccinellidae, with Chloe, but he had no other plan. Ladybug obviously wasn't going to show up because Marinette _was_ Ladybug. He honestly was still trying to wrap his head around the idea. His thoughts were interrupted by a small beeping noise. Chat looked at his ring. Four pads on the paw print meant four minutes to go; he needed to get this done now.

Chat prayed that Chloe stuck to the plan. He hated that the fate of his Lady was in her perfectly manicured hands. He studied Coccinellidae, trying to figure out where her akuma was. Her outfit looked almost the same as her Ladybug costume; the only differences were the wings and… the necklace! Of course, the necklace had been the first thing Chloe had stolen from Marinette. The akuma had to be in there.

Chat and Chloe had arrived on the bottom floor and were facing the courtyard. Chat whispered a soft "go" to Chloe; she rolled her eyes but Chat could see the tiniest bit of fear behind the sass. Fortunately, she complied with his wishes. Chloe tiptoed quietly towards the opposite corner of the large courtyard. She was going to be the distraction.

Chat saw Chloe take a deep breathe. "Hey, Ladybug!" She waved her hands in the air.

Coccinellidae snapped her head around and sneered at Chloe. "How did you get out of that classroom?!" Coccinellidae growled. She immediately left the group of students unattended and flew to Chloe.

Chat silently cheered. For once, everything was going as planned. The students seemed to be out of harm's way for the moment and with Chloe distracting her, Chat would hopefully be able to proceed with his role in the plan. He, as quietly as possible, sprinted towards the pair.

Coccinellidae now stood right in front of Chloe. Chat Noir approached sneakily behind her, his hands ready to snatch the necklace from around her neck.

His hands were nearly to her neck when a voice cried out, "Yeah, go, Chat Noir!"

Chat mentally face palmed. Of course, it was Kim. He forgot about the civilian factor; how many times had one of Ladybug or Chat Noir's plans gone wrong because some bystander tried to encourage them and had given their position away to their opponent?

Coccinellidae immediately whipped around. She sneered in his face. Chat balked at the sight of such a nasty smirk across his Lady's features. The beep that echoed from his ring snapped him out of it. Three minutes left. Chat immediately went into a threatening pose.

"Oh kitty cat," Coccinellidae almost purred, "are you really going to fight me?"

Chat cleared his throat before answering. "Marinette, I don't want to hurt you. Don't let Hawkmoth turn you into something you aren't."

Coccinellidae howled with laughter. "Chat, you always saw the best in me, even when it wasn't there. Why try and fight? We both know I could take you. Why not save time and just give me your miraculous? It'll be easier." As she spoke, she conjured up the sticky yellow goo to her hands.

"Never, Hawkmoth. Marinette, I know you're in there. You don't want to do this," Chat pleaded. He tried to keep his voice steady, but the tremor in it became more evident as he spoke.

Coccinellidae just smirked. "See if you can save them all, kitty," she stared at him with Marinette's big, innocent eyes. She then proceeded to throw all of the goo at the large group of students.

By some miracle, the students had been at least paying attention because they all scattered. No one was directly hit. Chat breathed a sigh of relief.

Coccinellidae, on the other hand, yelled in frustration. Her eyes flashed. She turned around and aimed for Chloe this time.

Chat barreled past Coccinellidae and tackled Chloe out of the way right before the glob of yellow goo hit her.

"Chat! You're supposed to be my partner; why are you helping her?!" Her words had the desired effect on him. Chat faltered for a split second and Coccinellidae used it to her advantage. The next batch of goo missed him by two inches.

Her statement stung Chat a lot harder than he thought it would. He instantly felt guilty. He stared at her. Another beep resonated in his ears. Chat silently swore. Two minutes.

"What's the matter, kitty, cat got your tongue?" Coccinellidae smirked at him.

Chat knew he did not have enough to try and trick Coccinellidae again. So he decided to do something that would've probably given the real Ladybug a heart attack. He tackled Coccinellidae straight on.

The attack took her by surprise, but she quickly recovered. But she was not quick enough. By the time, Coccinellidae could think about conjuring any more goo, Chat had grabbed the necklace from around Coccinellidae's neck. He yanked hard and the chain snapped. Chat dropped the necklace on the ground, quickly getting the akuma box ready. He stomped down hard on the diamond charm and a familiar dark purple butterfly fluttered out. Chat easily captured the small akuma in the clear box.

He knew that none of the damage she had caused would be able to be fixed without Ladybug's miraculous cure, but at least, for now, Marinette would be unakumatized. Chat watched as a dark energy cloud consumed Coccinellidae and left a very frazzled Marinette in its place.

"Oh god, what happened?" She sat up and put a hand to her head. Chat took a step towards her just as his miraculous gave one final warning beep. He cursed internally. He gave Marinette a, what he hoped was comforting, look and then sprinted in the other direction.

* * *

Author's Note:

Okay y'all, I am so sorry for being gone for so long and then giving you guys an eh kinda chapter. I am going to try and update more regularly though. Thanks for reading!


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